AUSTIN, Texas, Sep 13, 2011 -- WhaleShark Media, Inc., the world's leading marketplace for coupons and deals, announced today that Jill Balis has joined the company as senior vice president, marketing.

"WhaleShark is fortunate to bring in yet another fantastic executive with amazing experience," said Cotter Cunningham, WhaleShark's founder and CEO. "Jill's breadth and depth of knowledge is terrific and we are very excited to have her on board."

As SVP, marketing, Jill will direct user acquisition and retention strategies, public relations, social media community-building, and shape and manage the continued evolution of WhaleShark Media's consumer brands.

"More than ever before, consumers are actively seeking ways to maximize savings on their purchases," said Balis. "The deals and coupon space has exploded in recent months, and WhaleShark Media is uniquely positioned to provide consumers with tangible savings on virtually everything they buy. I am thrilled to be joining such a talented team and excited for the opportunity to help deliver continued growth for the company while driving even greater value for consumers."

Jill brings more than 17 years of experience in consumer marketing, analytics, customer acquisition and business development to WhaleShark Media. Prior to joining WhaleShark, she was managing director of SMG Search, the dedicated search marketing unit of Starcom MediaVest Group. In that role, Jill led a team of 100 search and social media experts and oversaw SMG Search's product, providing clients such as General Motors, Walmart, Hyatt, Continental Airlines, DeVry University, Research in Motion, US Cellular and others with tangible business results.

Before SMG, Jill led e-marketing for Orbitz Worldwide. There, she oversaw all online marketing initiatives for Orbitz.com and Cheaptickets.com, including paid search, SEO, display, affiliate marketing and strategic partnerships. Prior to that, she held various marketing analytics leadership positions.

Jill received her MBA from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management, with a concentration in marketing, strategy and technology. She holds a BA in political science from the University of Pennsylvania.

About WhaleShark Media, Inc.

WhaleShark Media, Inc. is the world's leading marketplace for coupons and deals. The company's websites connect consumers seeking savings with discounts from more than 100,000 top merchants, stores and retailers. WhaleShark Media welcomes more than 230 million visitors to shop its sites every year. The WhaleShark Media portfolio of coupon and deal websites includes www.RetailMeNot.com , the largest online coupon site in the United States, www.VoucherCodes.co.uk , the largest online coupon site in Europe, www.Deals.com , www.Deals2Buy.com , www.CheapStingyBargains.com , www.CouponSeven.com , www.CouponShare.com and www.Gutschein-Codes.de . WhaleShark Media is a fast-growing, profitable company funded by venture capital firms Austin Ventures, Norwest Venture Partners, Adams Street Partners and Google Ventures and is based in Austin, TX.